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Etta James Passes Away at 73

Legendary R&B singer Etta James passed away today at the age of 73, according to CNN. James was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010 and has battled health problems including dementia and hepatitis C for many years. The iconic singer died at a hospital in Riverside, CA with her husband at her side. She would have turned 74 Wednesday. James will be remembered for timeless classics such as the wedding favorite “At Last,” “Something’s Got a Hold on Me,” and the song that gave James her first success, “The Wallflower.”

“Etta James was a true legend,” says Relix editor Josh Baron. “I was as much a fan of her incomperable hits such as “At Last” as I was of her more rollicking moments like “Tell Mama” which she cut down in Muscle Shoals in the late ’60s. While Etta’s gone, there’s no question her legacy will continue in the legion of fans and artists around the world.”

Her guest appearance with the Grateful Dead on New Year’s Eve 1982 was a tape i wore out back in the day. Hearing her (along with the Tower of Power) horns on Lovelight > Tell mama, Baby What you Want, Hard to Handle & Midnight Hour was amazing, & something that will only mean more now. Rest in Peace!

UPFUL Life January 20, 2012, 22:39:36

yea man I had that GD 82 NYE tape too. She was catchin a buzz. “Grateful Dead got to be from the South!! They the baddest blues band i heard. Tower of Power the baddest horns, too!”
Her and Pigpen woulda been kindred spirits.
Rest in POWER Ms. James